Shatter
by NoteEmmy
Summary: Kaiba reflects on a pivotal moment in his life.


Three blips in succession alerted the CEO of Kaiba Corporation to the fact that it was now three in the morning. He'd sworn he was going to start silencing that damned wrist watch so it wouldn't interrupt him at these hours but he kept forgetting to do it. The moment of ire was always wiped away the second he got back to work. More pressing matters were put first and an annoying watch setting was just not as important as getting work done.

This time, however, Kaiba's hands hovered over the keyboard after hearing those chirps of the hour. Everything ceased to move, even the cursor on his screen seemed to be frozen for a few seconds. He just listened.

His hand slowly raised to his face, removing his glasses from the bridge of his nose and immediately placing them on the inside pocket of his jacket. This was still a weakness he would not admit to so the offending frames would be hidden when not in use. From there he leaned back in his chair, inching it further and further until it was as far as it would go. Then his hands went behind his head.

For a solitary moment in what was probably months, maybe even years, Kaiba was relaxing.

No one would know it was happening. No one would see him doing it. No one would know he even knew how to do such a thing.

Blue eyes closed slowly and a soft, fulfilling inhale was taken. He held it before releasing it just as slow, feeling his chest fall. There were no sounds at this hour. Even though it grinded him to know he had to legally allow his employees to be lazy and leave at a normal time, he was somewhat thankful the building was empty at these hours. Kaiba Corporation had become more a home to him than any other standard housing he'd ever lived in. There was no family within these walls. Just workers.

The only ones left at this hour were persistent technicians and late night security. That was fine, too. They were all on the much lower levels of the building. No one would disturb him in his office.

No one but him would have the indecency to do such a thing.

A harsh wind whipped at the top of the building so suddenly, not that he really noticed. The only thing it served to do was shake the windows slightly. But that was more than enough. His eyes cracked open before taking a much sharper glance to the side. One of the last panes on the left seemed to be shuddering underneath the force harder than the others. At once it sounded like the grass was cracking.

Kaiba stood, striding over to the pane. His hand reached out but stopped just before landing on the glass. He took in his reflection. He took in his reflection soaked in the city of Domino. The city he owned. The city he claimed with every right.

Or had it really been the city that had been handed over to him?

His hand curled into a fist, finally leaning against the window softly as he pressed closer. His forehead leaned against the cool glass, eyes still staring downwards.

Domino City had been a much different place twenty years ago. He had been a much different person. As much as he tried to deny it, as much as he would never look back on that past, as much as he tried to deny the sphere of influence one Gozaburo Kaiba had over him, he knew he'd never escape it. No matter how hard he tried.

His eyes closed as he leaned harder against the window, testing its limits. This was an act that he had tried before. Somehow it helped and in other ways it served to only ruin his mood more. Tonight he wasn't sure which. The window didn't bend against his weight. It stayed strong and resilient. He pressed a little harder, leaving none of his standing strength really on his feet. The window still refused to budge.

He knew.

He knew the only way through this glass was with strong determination. He wasn't trying to fool himself into believing that any of this had been by accident. It hadn't. He'd watched that man _fling_ himself through three plates of reinforced glass just so he could meet his end on the sidewalk. Not just fling. Throw. This was an act of a very deranged man.

Yet it had all made so much sense.

Kaiba was fine with whispers of murder when he'd had nothing to do with it at all- no. No that wasn't true. He'd had **everything** to do with it. He had wanted that man dead longer than he could really remember. But the lasting impression that scene had left was more burning than any of the scars he carried from whippings. He knew that's why Gozaburo had done it.

It was not just a lesson, but also a reminder.

Gozaburo was not a fair man. He was scum. He cheated at games and walked over the line of decency most of his life. But then why did he choose to that one time in all his miserable, terrible existence to do what he'd said he would? Why then? It meant the end of everything.

When Seto opened his eyes next he was standing in that office again. Gozaburo was staring down at him with such hatred. The old man knew everything was over. Seto owned Kaiba Corporation now. What was really left to do? What could he do? He'd lost. But who really knew that he'd lost?

Seto had only been preoccupied with his takeover in Gozaburo's line of eyesight. The public didn't know. The public could have never known.

"_Losing__is__death._"

That was his motto, yet had that young teen really expected Gozaburo to follow through with it then? Had he really thought it all through? Had Seto really expected, after all the lies and the cheating and the sick behavior for Gozaburo to really give up? Honest and truly?

He had been so stupid in that moment. He had brought nothing but worthless pieces of paper to throw at the other. He had not threatened the man's life but everything he owned.

This time was different. Instead of turning back and forth towards Seto and that window the old man went for the desk drawer. It was wrenched open so hard it fell to the ground. And then when Gozaburo reappeared from retrieving it from the floor there was a gun in his hand. Seto felt the shot before he heard it, before he understood what was going on. Gozaburo wasn't going to give up here. How absolutely ridiculous. He was going to shoot Seto and bury that kid in the ground and forget about him.

Kaiba rebounded back from the window, pale with sweat, reaching at the imaginary shot in his chest.

_Why hadn't the old man done it?_

No. Instead he'd uttered that phrase that pounded on Kaiba's psyche more than any lesson he'd ever been taught.

"_Losing__is__death._"

And with it he'd broken through that glass and fell countless stories until he was splattered on the sidewalk. The young Seto could barely believe things had been that easy- and yet knew things had worked in his favor. He didn't have true contingency plan aside from making Gozaburo reap what he had sown. To make him suffer, like he'd suffer for years under that fist. But suicide?

Kaiba would never admit it but it had never been the truly satisfying thing he'd been looking for that day.

And as the younger Seto looked down on the sidewalk, looked at the body, he couldn't b elieve what he was really looking at. He took a few steps towards the desk, intending to seat himself at the head of Kaiba Corporation and become its new owner. To take the place he had fought with blood and sweat to get to.

A shaking hand reached for one of the drawers. When he pulled back and saw the gun resting inside he felt himself retch.

Gozaburo had every chance in the world to take him down. So why hadn't he?

Slowly he reached in to grab it and place it on the desk. He stared at it for a long time as he heard police sirens echoing from the ground. Once more he picked it up, unlocking the pin and pushing the barrel aside. It was such a lousy gun in the first place. So tacky and terrible. Seto couldn't imagine why Gozaburo had such a relic in his possession to begin with.

The bullets clattered to the desk as he shook them loose from their resting place. All standard. All silver.

Then a scratch of black caught his eye. Tiny fingers reached to pick the bullet that had rolled further than the rest, the one that had been meant to be shot next with.

On the side of the bullet was written one name.

_**Seto**_

The young teen lost his breath. He nearly lost his sanity.

The old man had intended so hard to leave him with one last reminder. With one last thing. He had marked a bullet with his name. He was planning to kill him.

_But__why__hadn't__he_?

Kaiba reached back for his desk, hands bracing the wood. Gozaburo was a cheat and a liar but at the very end he'd followed his game, his rules. His nails scratched the fine wood in the middle of his episode, finding breathing hard to do. It was with that one move that he'd truly marked himself to Seto forever. He'd known it then; even if he would not be around to see it, he would forever truly damage that brat in that one simple and beautiful move.

Checkmate.

Who had really won?

"Damn that man." He breathed out.

Damn him to hell.


End file.
